Usually, good rivals will argue each other to death before any actual fighting

Fanart Friday returns, way too pumped from playing Asura's Wrath and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D all week. A major theme of both those games is rivalry--the true kind of rivalry you get when equals (or near-equals) are at odds. In a way, it's a nice compliment to last week, where we took a look at some of the great couples of anime and manga, only this time there's a lot more blood and broken bones, and a lot less cuddling. Unless, of course, you count all the yaoi I had to sift through to find a lot of these...

This one really straddles the line. On the one hand, Light and L are constantly engaged in a battle of wits and one-upmanship. On the other hand, they would kill each other if the chance ever arrived. No spoilers, people, the statute of limitations still isn't up on this series!

While they have the same goals, it's hard to find two characters with more diametrically opposed ideals. A quote from Batman: Noel sums it up perfectly: "I may look down on the world, but not in the way you do, Bruce."

Best friends... and again, if either shows even the slightest sign of weakness, one of them will capitalize without the slightest bit of mercy. Code Geass may have been a total trainwreck, but the stealth rivalry between Lelouch and Suzaku really gave the series legs.

God, these guys are embarassing. You can't have a single KoF awards ceremony without these two puffed-up idiots trying to kill each other at the drop of a hat. It's like the Hatfields and McCoys, only with superpowered martial arts and a slumbering demon god!

Shounen fans! Stop arguing about which is better, Naruto or Bleach, for the answer is simple: Fist of the North Star. Kenshiro and Raoh have realistic sibling rivalry: they don't just hurt each other, they commit atrocities to each other.

I am so sad that Saitou's original voice actor, Hiroata Suzuki, died in 2006--of lung cancer. How's that for weird coincidences? Hopefully, Ken Narita (InuYasha's Sesshoumaru, Code Geass' Jeremiah) will be just as awesome.

I can't really crack jokes about this rivalry, because it's kind of sad. More than anything, Sasuke needs help, because that poor kid has gone through way too much (and a lot of it is his fault because he's so hotheaded). When Naruto is the level-headed one, that's really saying something.

Goku seems to handle his "rivalry" with Vegeta well. He's so calm and relaxed while Vegeta is an absolute raving violence-for-pleasure-seeking psychopath that they just kind of balance each other out--and then they fight to the death every now and again.

Initial D's Keisuke Takahashi really needs to get over the fact that he lost to Takumi. Okay, so part of it is that Takumi completely kicked his ass with a generic grocery-getter that happens to be a total beast of a car, but still--you win some, you lose some!

This collision will not end well. I mean, Ippo has a skull made of granite, but Miyata's Jolt Counter is one of those crazy punches that ends a fight in one hit. The sad thing is that Hajime no Ippo has been teasing a rematch between these two for a long time, and doesn't look to be satisfying fans with it anytime soon. I can live with a Rocky III ending for the series, though...

This is what, the third time KurkoBoltsi's work has shown up here? I can't help it--the guy's great with epic showdowns! The only reason Jotaro's final battle with Dio in the third part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure felt kind of underwhelming was because we'd built their rivalry up so much over the entire story.

Princess Tutu really threw me for a loop--it's all smiles and ballet and cuteness, and then out of nowhere comes Kraehe and it gets really dark. This was "the dark magical girl series" years before Madoka Magica came along.

Every arc of Eyeshield 21, Sena had a rival--while Agon was my favorite, Shin was the most important. He was the motivator that turned Sena from a meek target for bullies to a confident and respected leader.

BOSS, NOOOOOO! This was a real rollercoaster of a rivalry, considering the complicated feelings of duty, honor and familial love leading up to a very painful final duel.

And that's all for this week, folks! Make sure to drop by next week as we visit the wide, sparkly world of magical girls!

Who are some of your favorite rivalries in anime, games, and comics? Are there any that we missed? Keep in mind, there's a fine line between "rivals" and "mortal enemies," so let us know in the comments!